Sciamachy
by Squidward Tortellini
Summary: AU / After a childhood tragedy, a young Akihiko seeks solace at the boxing club 'Sciamachy'. Years later, Akihiko is helping with the Gekkoukan High newspaper 'SEES'. He finally gains the opportunity to uncover the truth behind the mystery of his childhood friend, the Boxing Champion. ((Female Protag x Akihiko))
1. Saudade

**AUTHOR NOTE**: I haven't written in a long _long _time. What started out as a simple idea has been really bothering me lately. I really do like a dose of tragedy, but it seems there's a real lack of happy endings for the Akihiko and Female Protagonist pairing (and for pretty much every pairing for that matter) Thus, the idea of Sciamachy was born. I don't really know where this is going yet - I've got my plans of course, but it's still just a concept. For anyone who doesn't like tragedies, I guess this is your story. Maybe. I can just guarantee this won't end like the Persona 3 game does. For anyone who does like tragedy, I can assure you that this has plenty of angst. Whether it'll last is another question.

Either way, I hope you enjoy Sciamachy (SKEE-ah-mahk-EE)

* * *

**PART 1**

* * *

_ Saudade: a Portuguese and Galician word for a feeling of nostalgic longing for something or someone that one was fond of and which has been lost. It often carries a fatalist tone and a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might never return. It was once described as "the love that remains" or "the love that stays" after someone is gone._

It had been a year since Akihiko last saw his sister's face. A year since the fire had burned. A year since his fingertips and palms had burned and bled.

He had torn through the splintered wood but it proved futile. Shinjiro, his best friend, had pulled him away before he crawled under the structure and died with her. He couldn't even see her – but thinking back on it, he doubted he would even want to see the terror in her eyes.

He was outside when it fell. The orange and red flames licked the building until it collapsed. He swore he heard her scream, but it turns out it was he who was thrashing and screaming. He registered the burning feeling in his throat but blamed it on the smoke that filled his lungs. He didn't want to look anymore, but he had to see – if by some miracle she had survived – that his poor sister Miki would crawl out from under the rubble.

His eyes were burning, and the hot tears that came out did nothing to put out the fire. Miki was dead. His sister was gone.

He hadn't been strong enough.

* * *

The year following his sister's death felt like eternity. Akihiko often found himself pulled into his past. The world was like a blur to him because he just couldn`t find his purpose. He took walks with Shinjiro, who would tell him to `be careful` when wandering around.

On this particular night, Akihiko had just split up from Shinjiro. It was colder now, and snow was crunching under his feet. He walked over to a large bulletin board and read the advertisements. He had to admit, he enjoyed reading over some of the posters. They were colorful and flashy; usually displaying products nobody wanted or needed. Sometimes they advertised open apartments or cars for sale. Rarely did they interest him other than the eye-catching visuals.

Akihiko adjusted his jacket lapels as he read over one in particular. His silvery hair was in his eyes, so he shoved it unceremoniously under his hat. He knew when he took it off later it would be all over the place. He leaned forward to look at the fine print. The bottom was cut into small slips of paper for people to grab and go. He went to tear at one of them, but he tore too much and revealed a smaller poster behind. He had to tear a bit more of the top poster to see the one in behind.

**Can you kick ass?**

**Boxing Matches Now Open! **

**Do you want to learn how to kick ass?**

**Boxing Training Now Open!**

He admitted it was quite forward, but it piqued his interest none the less. He had always been interested in self defense, and he had a bigger reason for wanting to become stronger…

He could see the fire again. Miki's face. His scream.

He quickly ripped the poster off, ignoring the fact that _he could've probably just taken a tag instead _and followed the address.

* * *

Akihiko wasn't entirely sure what he was doing in front of the building. He looked back at the poster, and glanced up at the building's number. Apparently it was in the basement. He tugged open one of the doors and made his way to the elevator, pressing the button with a bit of hesitance.

The elevator bell made a loud _ding! _ And he entered the elevator.

"Oh, just wait a minute!" came a deep voice from where Akihiko had just walked in. A large hand blocked the elevator door from closing and two men, possibly in their mid-20's, came into the opening doors. One had the hairiest arms Akihiko had ever seen, and the other had both his arms covered in tattoos. They were equally muscular. The best word to describe it would be _beefy_. Because he felt like they could probably shake his hand and crush the bones. Actually, he was expecting their gaze alone to smash him to bits.

The man with hairy arms pressed the elevator button for the basement with enough force, Akihiko was scared he'd break it and he'd be trapped.

The one with the tattoos and short auburn hair looked at Akihiko first. "Hey you like boxing, kid?" he asked. His voice was gruff, but surprisingly inviting.

"I…" Akihiko was about to speak up, but the hairy armed one, interrupted him.

"You're kind of young, how old are you?" he turned his head, and Akihiko noticed his hair was put up in a bun.

"I'm fourteen." Akihiko said, his voice small. The two men looked at each other and laughed. The sound bounced off the tiny elevator walls and hit his ears so loud it made him jump.

"I love your guts, kid!" the hairy armed man said between chuckles. "I wish I had started as young as you." He gave Akihiko a grin.

Akihiko smiled meekly, gaining a bit of confidence. He hadn't expected them to be…well…_nice_.

"My name's Juuichi, and this is Hayato." Said the hairy armed man. He crossed his arms whilst Hayato, the one with tattoos, leaned against the elevator railing.

"I'm Sanada Akihiko." Akihiko introduced himself and they both nodded.

The elevator door dinged and both Hayato and Juuichi stepped out of the doors.

"It'll be nice having another familiar face around here," Hayato spoke to Juuichi and he nodded back.

Akihiko looked around the basement, which by his standards was _huge._ He had known the building outside was large but he wasn't expecting the basement to look like _this!_ There were three boxing rings, two of which were occupied. The third seemed to be being prepared for a match. There was a station where people were putting on gloves and another station in the far corner where a few people were training with punching bags.

He watched as Juuichi and Hayato approached a boxing ring that was situated on the right hand side of the room.

"C'mon, finish him off!" Juuichi roared, gripping one of the ropes that lined the ring. He shook it and it made a loud clanging noise. The people in the ring were out of Akihiko's sight, so he walked up behind the two men. Hayato glanced over at Akihiko.

"The captain is just finishing off a match." He said to Akihiko. He heard a loud thud before Juuichi cheered and clapped his hands together.

"Nice one, champ!" he said, pulling on two ropes to help the winner out of the ring.

"Thanks," came a lighthearted reply. The winner squeezed through the ropes Juuichi held open and stepped down.

Akihiko stared at the person in front of him.

For starters, the person was shorter than him and probably younger than him too. By a year, maybe even up to three years. He couldn't really tell.

Secondly, the one who stepped out of the ring was a girl. A _girl._

He was even more shocked to see other members of the club drag off a man, probably in his early 20s. Who had just been knocked out, courtesy of the little lady standing in front of Akihiko.

"Hello!" she greeted him, a smile on her face. Hayato handed her a towel and she took it, wiping her forehead. "Welcome to Sciamachy." She said.

"Skee-a…" Akihiko trailed off, a bit confused by the name.

"SKEE-ah-mahk-EE" she pronounced carefully.

"It means a battle against imaginary enemies; fighting your shadow." Hayato explained. Juuichi rolled his eyes.

"We didn't need to make it so complicated." Juuichi complained but the young girl and Hayato both ignored him.

"So, I suspect you came here to learn how to box?" she asked Akihiko.

Akihiko nodded numbly. "Are you the captain?" he heard himself say the words but he didn't really register it.

"Sure am!" she smiled, her auburn eyes warm. She had short brown hair, and her bangs were pushed back with a hairband; possibly to keep it out of her face during matches.

"But you're…" he couldn't find words.

She seemed to hold a more serious gaze. "A girl?" she asked.

He shook his head. That wasn't the problem, actually that part was quite endearing. "You're really young."

"So are you." She countered, trying not to smile.

"I was just curious." He said, and he found himself gripping his arm tightly.

Hayato and Juuichi remained quiet, while the girl looked Akihiko over.

"I wouldn't mind training you." She finally said, and Akihiko looked up.

"You'll train me?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Well yeah. I can't train you alone though. That would be exhausting. Hayato and Juuichi will be helping." She looked at both of them and they grinned at each other.

"Hell yeah we'll train Sanada!" Juuichi roared, high fiving Hayato with a thunderous clap.

"Hayato, what's the time?" she asked him, and he pulled back from Juuichi, glancing down at his wrist.

"It's 9:34pm." He said and the girl put her finger to her chin.

She looked at Akihiko again. "You'll need a t-shirt and sweat pants. Whatever you prefer. We have gloves you can use too." She looked down at her shoes for a moment. "I don't know if you're actually thinking about joining," her head snapped up and she held his gaze. "But I would love to train you."

"Why do you want to train me?" he asked and she simply smiled.

"I've never seen someone my age in here. Especially someone with fire in their eyes like you."


	2. Whelve

**AUTHOR NOTE**: This is probably the last chapter for a couple of days. I've finally managed to pin down what I'll be writing about. Most of the story, if not all, will be from Akihiko's perspective. We'll have to wait and see!

As for Akihiko's age, I've kept him quite young. (I changed it from twelve to fourteen) Keep in mind that this is only for a small portion of the story, and there is a time skip somewhere in between, where we come to the 'present' time Akihiko.

You'll have to excuse any of my spelling mistakes! I just got a new computer and I've been practicing meticulously, but I've already caught myself making mistakes multiple times, haha. Lastly, thank you to the reviewers/favorites/follows! I'm really taken aback that I've gotten feedback after only writing one chapter.

* * *

_Whelve: to bury something deep; to hide._

"Training again?" Shinjiro asked Akihiko as he headed for the door. He glanced back at Shinjiro who was slumped in the bottom bunk of their bunk bed, reading a novel.

They had been put in a different orphanage since the fire last year. It was much smaller, and the people running the orphanage had taken Akihiko's preference for the main floor into consideration. Shinjiro was put in the same room as him, both for familiarity's sake and to make sure his nightmares didn't persist.

"Are you walking alone?" he asked, and Akihiko shook his head.

"Hayato is coming to get me." Akihiko replied, while tugging his arms into his winter jacket. He put on his hat and brushed his bangs away from his eyes. Shinjiro watched him get ready, and then turned his eyes away with disinterest.

"Don't be too late tonight, you'll wake me up." Shinjiro said before Akihiko smiled and excused himself from the room.

* * *

Hayato was running his hand through his hair when Akihiko walked outside. "Evening! Juuichi hurt his shoulder earlier so he won't be training you tonight."

"What happened?" Akihiko asked. He hopped down the staircase and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket. The temperature had dropped in the evening, and he could see the fog of his breath in front of him.

"I was watching his match and he got a bit too rowdy. One minute he was acting ridiculous, and the next he was holding his shoulder trying not to tear up." Hayato couldn't help but chuckle. "I've told him countless times to watch his back but he never listens to me. That's what he gets, I suppose."

Akihiko felt himself frown. He had been warned about injuries before he started training. Hayato was the one to give him most of the pointers on how to avoid injuring himself – or letting others injure him.

"Do you think…maybe I should improve defense rather than offense?" Akihiko was wary. "I mean, I've been learning for three weeks now, but if Juuichi got hurt so easily…"

"Trust me; you're much more responsible in the ring than he is, and you're still so young." Hayato opened the door to Sciamachy. "You're not reckless. With years of practice, you're going to be exceptional."

Akihiko couldn't help but feel at ease with Hayato's words. All the boxers he met at Sciamachy were so diverse, and not to mention, _strong._ They trained physically, but the mentality of some of the boxers was unbelievable. Akihiko could only dream of someday being as confident as them.

Silence passed between the two boxers while they waited in the elevator. Akihiko stepped through the doors when they opened to the basement and was greeted by the 'Captain'. She still hadn't told him her name, and he finally decided today would be the day that he'd ask for it.

Akihiko set down his bag and took off his jacket. The Captain came over with four hand wraps. She handed two to Akihiko and watched him wrap his hands, pointing to where he needed to wrap next. After he was done, she quickly wrapped her own hands and Juuichi came over to hand them each a pair of boxing gloves.

"Um, Captain?" Akihiko wasn't sure how to approach the topic of her name.

"Yes?" she was lacing her sneakers, not quite paying attention.

"I've been calling you Captain for a while now, but it's kind of strange to not know your name." Akihiko finally said, tugging gently on the white bandages he had meticulously wrapped around his hands. "What I'm trying to say is, can I know your real name?"

The young girl looked over at him, an impish smile on her face. "Beat me in the ring, and then I'll tell you."

He heard Juuichi howl in the background and Akihiko felt his face heat in embarrassment. He knew she was younger than him, he wasn't stupid. What made it infuriating was that she wouldn't lose – and _both_ of them knew that. She wasn't particularly strong, she was just _fast._

She did a few stretches before getting into the ring, and Hayato held it open for both she and Akihiko to enter.

"Stretch first, you don't want to tear a muscle." Hayato instructed him as he entered the ring. Akihiko nodded silently, letting his body adjust as he stretched the ways he had been taught.

"We'll start off with defense first." The Captain said. She was pushing the hairband further back to hold her bangs away from her face. When he voiced he was ready, she instructed him to get in a fighting stance.

This was all basic for him now, but the first few days she had brought him in the ring, it had been difficult. Akihiko wasn't one to gloat like Juuichi, but his sense of when to _move his head _wasn't very good. Actually, the sense to move _any part of his body_ when he saw a swing coming at him wasn't very good. It was actually…

"Embarrassing…" Hayato mumbled when Akihiko had been hit dead center in the face. Juuichi guffawed, holding his stomach.

Akihiko learned two things quickly that day. First, don't be afraid to use instincts. Second, Juuichi is the obnoxiously loudpeanut gallery for Sciamachy.

He readied himself in the ring and she moved forward. They had practiced this countless times, so he knew what to expect – and knew when to expect the unexpected. The Captain wasn't 'The Captain' because of her power. In fact, when Akihiko actually managed a hit, he found she fell back quite easily. What made her exceptional in the ring was her agility. Her ability to _avoid_ and then _conquer_. She had the graces of a cat, and knew where to use them.

Akihiko wasn't surprised when he found himself on his back, and The Captain towering over him. In fact, it was almost pleasant to see her smiling down at him. Although she could kick his ass in every way imaginable, he had grown a certain fondness for her.

"Offense now." She said after they had practiced defense several times. "You're doing a lot better today," she commented and Akihiko couldn't help but smile. It felt ridiculously good to know he was improving just a little, but extraordinary if it was by her standards.

The training continued, and after a while, Akihiko found himself getting drowsy. It was quite pleasant to drift off a bit.

That is, until The Captain gracefully swung at his face and hit him on his brow line. As he felt the impact, and felt himself topple to the floor, he wondered if it would make a nice scar. Would it bleed a lot? Would he get stitches? He was kind of hoping for stitches. He felt his body meet the floor and tried to elevate his head so it didn't hit the ground.

"Holy shit, kid!" Juuichi's voice was uncommonly loud. Akihiko's eyes took a moment to focus. The Captain was hovering over him, her hands were already free of her boxing gloves. She was saying something to Hayato, and then he was being picked up.

Akihiko's eyes closed.

* * *

"_Aki_," he heard someone call. He was lying in the grass. Akihiko leaned up on his elbows.

"_Aki!_" the voice grew louder. He looked around, and finally stood up.

"Miki?" he called back, and he saw her running towards him. "Miki!" he smiled, but she stopped.

"_Aki…_" she whispered, and then he was paralyzed. The burning orphanage stood in front of him. The fire carrying her into the building.

"Miki, wait! Don't go!" Akihiko tried to scream but his voice wouldn't work.

"AKIHIKO!" someone yelled, and he was pulled out of the dream. His eyes shot open and he could barely figure out where he was. He didn't _care_ where he was. He caught his breath in gasps, gripping onto whatever he could find. The Captain's t-shirt balled into his hands and he pulled her to him. She let out a sound of surprise but didn't move away. Akihiko buried himself in her chest, his whole body a shivering mess.

"Sanada?" she tried, and his shaking slowly subsided.

"Minako." She murmured in his ear. He pulled away only enough to see her face.

"My name is Arisato Minako, and whatever nightmare you just had, it's over now."


	3. Appetence

**AUTHOR NOTE:** so my other computer actually held chapter 3 of Sciamachy but decided it actually hated me and broke down! I had to rewrite this chapter. If I'm not careful, it'll probably happen again. (With my luck, it most definitely will)

* * *

_Appetence: an eager desire, an instinctive inclination; an attraction or a natural bond._

Akihiko drifted in and out of consciousness for a while. He knew this because one minute he was lying on the boxing ring floor, and the next he was not. His body was on the ground, and the next minute it was floating. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. His head hurt and his arms were a little numb. He lost his sense of time completely.

The world finally went dark again.

The first thing Akihiko could distinguish from his new surroundings was the blinding light that was making itself glaringly obvious from the ceiling. He could only squint up at the flickering fixture.

The second thing he noticed was the running water. Where was it coming from? It was starting to make him irritated.

"Mm." Akihiko mumbled, closing his eyes again for fear of them burning out of his skull. His head was pounding.

"Where am I?" he finally asked, after a few failed attempts at speaking coherently.

"You're in the infirmary on a cot," came the soft and very worried voice of his captain. It was tempting to open his eyes again so he could see her expression.

"How're you feeling, kid?" came Hayato's familiar voice. Akihiko wasn't expecting it, and felt goosebumps jump in his skin.

"Uh, I don't really know." Akihiko admitted. Akihiko tried to sit up, but he let out a gasp as his body angrily protested the movement.

"Hey hey hey, don't try to get up yet." Hayato warned him, and Akihiko gave a resigned sigh.

"Captain," he called out, in hopes she would come over and get him away from Hayato. He just wanted to stand up and assess his condition for himself but Hayato's presence was intimidating.

"I told you to call me Minako," she said finally, and he felt her sit down next to him on the cot.

Akihiko mustered up the courage to open his eyes and look at her. When he did, Minako took a hold of his hand and leaned over. She was conveniently blocking the light from his eyes. Her worried expression made him anxious.

"I'm sorry." Akihiko finally said, and she blinked.

"For what? I'm the one who knocked you out." She smiled, a small chuckle escaping. Hayato cleared his throat and they both jumped. Minako slipped her hand out of Akihiko's grip and stood up.

"By the way, I stopped the bleeding." She said to him as she walked to the sink. He didn't quite know what to say after their interruption. Minako glanced back at him and guessed his silence to be confusion at her words. "On your brow. You were bleeding a lot, so I fixed it up."

Akihiko lifted his hand to feel at the wound but Hayato's glaring stopped him short. Akihiko was _really_ becoming irritated with the senior boxer.

Minako came back from the sink with a warm cloth in her hand. She gently dabbed at his brow with the cloth and then looked to Hayato.

"I've got it from here, you can go practice Hayato."

The older man shifted his gaze between the two teens and sighed. "It's not like I can concentrate after all that's happened."

"I'm sure Juuichi wants to know what's happening," Minako said with a smile as she walked back to the sink.

She knew how to be convincing, or maybe she was just intimidating.

"If you wanted to get rid of me, you could've just said so." Hayato got up from his seat and went to the door of the infirmary. His voice had a touch of hurt, but Akihiko knew Hayato wasn't the type to hold a grudge.

Akihiko heard the click behind him as he closed the door, and his gaze shifted back to Minako. She paused while rooting through a first aid bag and let out a quiet sigh.

"I'm sorry." Akihiko repeated his earlier apology. Minako fished out a brown colored band aid from the kit and crossed her arms when she looked at him.

"What did I tell you already, Sanada?"

"I know, but I worried you. I should've been paying attention." Akihiko couldn't bare to look at her. He knew the consequences of not paying attention in the ring. "I feel like I haven't learned anything at all."

Minako sat down on the cot and faced him. "Don't say that," she said, peeling the band aid from its wrapper. She held the band aid in her left hand and tilted his chin up with the other.

Akihiko made eye contact with her and saw her expression didn't hold any sort of resentment. In fact, she looked more scared than anything. She had peeled the plastic off the back of the band aid and placed the adhesive sides close to his wound. Minako was careful not to touch the cut too much, and made sure the soft padding was covering his brow properly. His fearless Captain who had trained him since day one was trembling. The fragile looking girl who could take out anyone in a boxing ring was looking at him, and she looked _terrified_.

"I…" Akihiko didn't know where to begin. "I had a nightmare earlier. When we were in the boxing ring."

Minako nodded solemnly. Was she scared of him? No…

"It was about my sister, Miki. She…she died last year. In a fire." Akihiko underestimated how difficult it was to talk about the event. It had only happened a year ago, yet it felt like forever since he had seen his sister. "I couldn't get her out on time, and the orphanage collapsed on top of her."

Minako had taken hold of his hand again. Her voice wasn't working, so she comforted him by lacing her fingers with his.

"I wasn't strong enough to save her. My best friend Shinjiro…well, he's all I have left. I want to be able to protect him if anything ever goes wrong."

"You're such a caring person, Sanada."

"Call me Aki," was Akihiko's quick reply. When she seemed hesitant to do so, he squeezed her hand delicately with his fingers. "I don't mind. We're friends now, right?"

Minako's cheeks colored at his words, "Aki…" she trailed off, and looked up at him. "Your sister would be proud of your accomplishments because she loves you." There was a pause before she continued. "And Shinjiro, I'm sure, is just as worried about protecting you as you are with him."

"I've never had any other friends besides them," Akihiko shook his head slowly, and looked at Minako. "You're the first. Thank you for being here for me."

Minako felt herself smile. "It's been so long since I've been friends with someone my age." she let out a short laugh. "I feel like I have to act mature around the other boxers because they're older than me."

"They act like babies anyway," Akihiko joked and Minako giggled. He chuckled a bit when she snorted and shocked herself. She playfully hit his arm, and they spent a few minutes joking around.

Minako hadn't looked scared because she was afraid of him, Minako looked scared because she had never been able to be herself around anyone before.

Akihiko knew Minako now. She tried so hard to be the leader everyone wanted, and forgot to just take a break. He understood how her teammates would stress her out all the time. Their expectations of her were so high; it's a wonder she hadn't snapped yet. Even though she was the leader, she was still just a kid. Becoming friends with her had shown him that she was just like him. Ever since he lost Miki, everyone looked at him like a disappointment. Akihiko couldn't help but blame himself for her death. Did Minako have a burden of her own?

"Aki," Minako said, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Trust me when I say that you _have_ gotten better at boxing. Much better. I'd say you're a few steps away from beating me."

Akihiko scoffed. "Now you're lying."

"I'm not!" Minako was insistent. She was holding his hand again. "If you promise to take it easy for a while and let your injuries heal, I promise to teach you everything I know."

"Why everything? Why me?"

"Because I know you can do it. You're my friend, and I believe in you!"

* * *

Minako had kept a careful eye on Akihiko in case he decided to test his luck and train before he was fully healed. He hadn't dared go against her, especially in his condition. So Akihiko waited patiently until she said he was fit to box again.

Both Hayato and Juuichi had provided plenty of company when he felt especially bored. Hayato was the only one out of all three men who could still participate in matches, as Juuichi's arm was still healing.

True to her word, Minako made sure to teach Akihiko every detail of her technique. He wasn't nearly as agile as she was, but it was easy for him to come up with his own style knowing hers for reference.

"Your band aid is bothering me," Minako said one day before training.

It had been two months since Akihiko was injured.

"Bothering you?" Akihiko asked, instinctively touching his brow and feeling the smooth surface of the dressing. Minako had walked into the infirmary, and Akihiko began wrapping his hands while waiting for her return. She sat down next to him as he finished wrapping his first hand.

"Look this way," she beckoned him and he turned his head. She was closer than expected, and his first instinct was to back up and give her some room. "Stay put." She said, answering his thoughts.

Minako gingerly peeled back the band aid and seemed more than pleased. "Seems I was right. It's just a scar now."

"A scar?" Akihiko's eyes shone at the prospect of having a battle wound. He had always dreamed of showing off scars to classmates, and letting them awe at his victories. He would never admit such a thing to Minako, but the hope in his voice was enough to give him away.

"Easy, Aki. The skin is still sensitive and with the right hit to the face, I'm sure it will bleed again." Minako was unraveling a thin white bandage.

"What's that?" he asked and she cut a small piece of the wrapping.

"It's for your eyebrow, to protect the scar when you fight." She explained, and gave him a grin. "Though knowing you, I'm sure you'll wear it 24/7."

Akihiko frowned, his cheeks pink. "Am I…" he glanced up at her, knowing she was teasing him. "Am I allowed to wear it all the time?" he asked.

She motioned for him to stay still, and gently placed the white bandage on his brow. "Wear it as long as you want, just remember to change it regularly." She sat back and admired her work. "Actually, I'd say it suits your style."

"R-really?" Akihiko touched the bandage and smiled at Minako when she grinned.

"Aki, with a trademark bandage like that, nobody will think twice about challenging you."


	4. Mulligrubs

**AUTHOR NOTE: **I can't say I'm all too pleased with the previous chapter, but I had to establish a bond between Akihiko and Minako. It's kind of a snore fest when people sit around talking about their feelings, so I tried to shorten the dialogue by adding in physical contact. Now, most of the story is told in Akihiko's perspective, and if anyone is familiar with him, he is ridiculously dense. If Akihiko couldn't notice it when he was in P3P, I doubt it would have been much better when he was younger. Minako is still young as well, so please understand that their relationship (at this stage) is primarily friendship.

They're reaching the age of puberty, so there will be a few instances where Akihiko is confused by his own feelings but that kind of relationship will mostly be explored when they are older.

Aside from my yammering, there is an important notice I'd like you all to be aware of. Sciamachy will be written in 3 major parts. Part one is almost over, and part two will be (by far) the largest section out of all three. I'm still developing part three, so I can't really say what it includes yet.

Anyway, there are storm clouds up ahead for Akihiko so stay tuned, and thank you for reading Sciamachy!

* * *

_Mulligrubs: despondency, low spirits; a state of depression_

"Hey. Get up." Came a deep and very annoyed voice. Akihiko opened his eyes and saw Shinjiro peering up at him from where he lay on the top bunk.

"Ugh," Akihiko rolled over on the bunk bed and faced away from his best friend.

"Aki don't make me throw you out of bed. You overslept, it's already noon." Shinjiro's voice was threatening. When Akihiko didn't move, Shinjiro spoke again. "I thought you had practice today."

"No it's Sunday, I never have practice on Sundays." Akihiko snapped.

"It's Saturday, you idiot."

Akihiko took a moment to process this, and then suddenly flung the bed sheets away. "Please don't tell me you're serious."

"Are you stupid? Do you seriously think I'm joking." Shinjiro's dark glare proved that he was, in fact, very serious. Akihiko had slept through morning practice. Minako was going to throw him out a window.

He quickly hopped down from the bunk bed and started rummaging through his clothes to find his boxing gear. "I can't believe this! I was sure it was Sunday!"

Shinjiro simply watched as Akihiko practically caused a tornado in the room with his rush. "Quit freaking out, take this." Shinjiro threw his bag at him. "I already packed your stuff. I'll walk with you to the ring."

Akihiko was still in the midst of calming down when he figured out what Shinjiro just said. "Thanks Shinji…"

"Whatever." Shinjiro said, opening their door and waiting for Akihiko to catch up before heading towards Sciamachy.

"Wasn't Hayato here to pick me up?" Akihiko asked once they were on their way.

Shinjiro adjusted his hat before shoving his hands in his pockets. "I told them you were exhausted."

"You knew he was here to pick me up?" Aki asked him, frowning. His anger grew. "You knew, and you let me freak out over nothing?!"

"Calm the hell down Aki, you were overexerting yourself yesterday and needed the rest."

"You made me think it was my fault!" Akihiko balled his fists.

"I wanted you to learn something out of this." Shinjiro said, stopping and making direct eye contact with his best friend. "Nothing good will come of rushing ahead and not taking the time to give your body a break. You'll end up screwing yourself over."

Akihiko fell silent; his hands now slack at his sides. Of course Shinjiro was right. Minako had warned him about taking his time but he was just so impatient about getting stronger.

"I told them I'd bring you later so you could get some sleep, and they agreed. I wanted you to freak out so you don't act so stupid next time."

"Shinji…" Akihiko was about to say another thank you, but Shinjiro suddenly started walking again. His best friend had always been a bit rough around the edges, but Akihiko knew how much he cared about his friends.

They arrived at Sciamachy and entered the basement. Akihiko was surprised Shinjiro came in with him, and was eager to show him what he'd learned.

"Hey Aki!" Minako jogged over to the both of them with a smile on her face. "How'd you sleep?"

Akihiko tried not to blush from embarrassment but it was no use. The color had already reached his cheeks. "Really well. Thanks for letting me take a break."

"Don't be silly, I don't mind if you're tired once in a while. It's hard work!" Minako glanced over at Shinjiro and her smile softened. "Thank you for letting Hayato know about Aki, if you hadn't spoken up I'm sure he would've ended up in the hospital."

Shinjiro was watching Minako carefully before he gave a small shrug.

"I'll go wrap my hands." Akihiko pointed to the glove station and walked away from his two friends.

Shinjiro said something that was out of his hearing range, and when he looked over at his two friends they seemed to be talking. Minako was much shorter than Shinjiro, though Shinjiro had always been taller than most. Akihiko absentmindedly wrapped his hands and watched them converse. Minako had her hands behind her, holding a pair of boxing gloves. Her expression was a bit sad and Shinjiro was nodding. What were they talking about?

Akihiko began wrapping his other hand, and Shinjiro looked over at him. He quickly turned away, trying to focus his eyes down on the bandages but he couldn't help when his eyes went back to them. Minako bowed slightly to Shinjiro and he said something that made her smile. It surprised Akihiko because Shinjiro never actually tried to make _anyone_ smile. She waved goodbye, and Shinjiro looked back at Akihiko before nodding and heading for the elevator.

Minako walked over to the bench Akihiko was sitting on and sat down next to him. "Shinjiro is a good friend, I'm glad you two are so close." She smiled at him and Akihiko smiled back.

"He's not very friendly at first, but he means well."

Minako's expression faltered, but she stood up before Akihiko could ask what was wrong. "Are you ready to train?" she asked, and he nodded mutely. Perhaps he had just imagined it.

* * *

They made their way to the ring and Akihiko noticed both Hayato and Juuichi talking to some of the other boxers. Hayato noticed Akihiko looking and gave him a slight wave with a smile.

"What's everyone doing?" Akihiko asked as Minako held the rope for him to enter the ring.

"God knows with those guys. Probably just procrastinating." She joked, and entered the ring after him.

Their practice was easy on Akihiko for a while, but Minako took a few clean swings at him and hit him hard in the side.

"Don't keep yourself open." Minako instructed and Akihiko scoffed. He did the same maneuver and she grunted when he hit her in the stomach.

"Same to you." He quipped and she grinned slyly. At this point with his training, Akihiko had adapted well to Minako's fighting style. He had to rely more on strength than speed in comparison to her.

She slipped around him when he wasn't paying attention and crawled onto him. He had learned she did this when she felt a disadvantage. She was more of a wrestler than a boxer, but she shoved him so he fell to the floor. He rolled over and groaned.

"I thought I said that wasn't fair. Isn't that against the rules?" he asked. He was about to start laughing but Minako looked …_upset._

"Hey…" he started but she noticed his concern and put on a small smile for him.

"Did Shinjiro say something to you?" Akihiko asked without thinking about it. He knew Shinjiro could be harsh so he was used to apologizing on his behalf. Minako shook her head.

"I'm sorry Aki, I shouldn't throw you around like that."

She was avoiding the question. Something was definitely wrong. "Minako," he urged her to lean down so he could talk to her face to face. She kneeled down in front of him and took off her gloves.

"I think I'm just…" she struggled with her words. "I'm just so frustrated with being so small against all these guys. You're all so much stronger than me, and my only advantage is that I'm quick." She unwrapped one of her hands and flexed her fingers. "It's like I'm cheating."

"You're not cheating, I didn't mean it like that." Akihiko tried to comfort her but her expression didn't change. "Minako I'm serious, you're a really great boxer."

Minako suddenly began crying and Akihiko stuttered. "I, I uh," he quickly took off his gloves and touched her face. How were you supposed to comfort a girl who was crying? Certainly the other boxers had never seen her cry. They were in the middle of the ring though, what if one of them thought he made her cry? But he _did_ make her cry, didn't he? Augh! Shit!

"Minako," his voice sounded closer to begging than anything else. "Minako, please don't cry." He tugged the back of her neck to urge her forward and she collapsed on him. He embraced her so tightly it was like he was willing the sadness out of her. She sat in his lap like a crumpled rag doll, quietly sobbing in his shoulder.

It seems she had finally reached her breaking point.


	5. Naufragous

**AUTHOR NOTE: ** Alas, this is the last chapter for part 1 of Sciamachy. I took a break for a while, just to decide where I wanted the story to go – and I've got a pretty good idea so far.

To be honest, this was …short. I'm actually disappointed at how short the chapters look on fanfiction in comparison to my word documents. They don't look nearly as impressive, haha.

It's really encouraging to get reviews on chapters. I never realized how flattering it was to have someone write to you about your work! I'd like to thank those who have reviewed, favorited, and followed Sciamachy so far.

This is the last chapter for part one! I didn't have any intention of making Akihiko's childhood the main section of Sciamachy to focus on, so I'm hoping part two will have longer chapters. Here's to hoping you all enjoyed part 1, and I'll see you all next time at the beginning of part 2 :)

* * *

_Naufragous: in danger of being wrecked or totally destroyed_

Minako didn't show up to practice anymore. After the events of Saturday, Akihiko continually went to practice.

The doors of the elevator would slide open and he'd eagerly scan the room for his captain. He'd look in each boxing ring, he'd go to the prepping stations, and he'd go to the bathrooms. Some days he'd feel more hopeful than usual and he'd go to the infirmary. Akihiko would open the door with a smile but the only thing greeting him would be the buzz of the light fixtures and the stale smell of antiseptics.

Eventually, Akihiko became well acquainted with the feeling of disappointment. So much acquainted with it that it became his natural state. He would stand still for so long he felt like he was molding. Maybe if he stood still long enough, he'd permanently root himself to the floor and grow like a tree. He could attach himself to the wall and bear fruit, and then maybe he'd prove useful.

As it stood, he couldn't practice seriously with anyone else. All the other boxers were twice his figure both in weight and height. He wasn't confident enough in his own abilities to think he'd be able to dodge their hits. Even if he was, all the boxers feared they would accidentally snap him in half. Everyone he asked to practice with gave him a firm 'no'. They didn't want to be known as the one who sent "Little Akihiko" to the hospital. He stopped asking.

Hayato felt bad for Akihiko, so he helped him as best as he could. He'd get in the ring and defend against Akihiko's hits, but he refused to return them. It had been a week since Minako had last shown up to practice.

On the seventh day of Hayato's pity training, Akihiko yanked off his gloves with a growl. Hayato watched him, his mouth turned downward.

"I'm sorry about this, Aki." Hayato apologized, as Akihiko let the gloves drop to the floor. He watched the young boxer pull his knees to his chest.

"How am I supposed to get stronger like this?" Akihiko groaned, his knees muffling the sound. He lifted his face and glared at the elevator doors. Juuichi was nowhere to be found.

"If you just keep trying, I'm sure you can do it." Hayato knew as well as Akihiko that those were empty words. He was just trying to throw out a pep talk to cancel out the awkward silence. It still didn't work.

They sat in the middle of the ring until two boxers came over and asked to use it for training. Akihiko begrudgingly got up and hopped out of the ring, wishing _he_ were the one able to practice. Wishing he weren't so young and inexperienced. He hated it.

"I'm done for today." Akihiko said, gathering his belongings and unwrapping his hands. Hayato tried to persuade him to stay. "I'm tired" Akihiko lied. Hayato let him go.

Akihiko opened the front doors of Sciamachy. There was still snow on the ground, and tiny flecks of white collected on his shoulders and hat. He was worried for Minako. He wanted to go visit her but he didn't know where she lived. Upon reflection, he knew next to nothing about her. Albeit the small things he noticed.

Like how they would sometimes have dinner with the other members of Sciamachy and she'd always order the beef bowl. She always gravitated towards the color yellow. She trained harder on rainy days. If she wasn't training, she was cheering on the other boxers from outside the ring. She had a habit of covering her mouth when she smiled. She fiddled with her bangs when she was anxious. She was an endless fountain of kind words especially to those who wanted to give up.

So why, when she seemed like she was giving up, did she run away from him? Why did she avoid him? He wanted to see her and wanted to tell her just how important she was to him.

Shinjiro was in his bunk when Akihiko returned. Shinjiro peered over the top of his book to see his best friend kick off his shoes and angrily throw his gear at the wall. The boxing gear flew out of his bag and Akihiko apologized quietly and slinked to the top bunk. Shinjiro grabbed Akihiko's ankle before he made it to the mattress.

"What happened." Shinjiro asked, but the way he said it could have been perceived otherwise.

"It's fine. I'm fine." Akihiko lied and Shinjiro tightened his grip on Akihiko's ankle, making it clear that he wasn't letting go until he told the truth. "Minako hasn't come to practice in a while." He admitted.

Shinjiro let go of his leg and relaxed back into his bunk.

"Do you think she's quitting?" Akihiko asked, and the silence that followed made his stomach twist uncomfortably.

"I don't know." Shinjiro finally said, and didn't speak another word.

* * *

Time passed late into the evening before Akihiko noticed he had wasted the rest of his day. Dinner had been uneventful. Quiet, to say the least. Shinjiro hadn't spoken a word since Akihiko had come back from Sciamachy.

It was past 10pm when Shinjiro turned off his reading light and gruffly bid Akihiko a good night.

Hours passed.

Akihiko felt like he had been lying in bed for years before he dared a glance at his clock.

It was now past midnight. Had he really daydreamed for that long? He heard something tap the glass of his window. Was it Shinjiro shifting in his sleep? The tapping continued.

"Quit it Aki." he heard Shinjiro's voice threaten in the dark.

"It's not me." Akihiko said, and he heard Shinjiro roll over to look out the window.

"Minako." Shinjiro said quietly, and Akihiko shot up in bed, quickly scanning outside of the window. Minako was indeed standing outside, throwing small rocks at their window. Akihiko scurried out of bed and quickly put on his boots. Shinjiro was saying something to him but he paid it no attention.

"I'm going to see her." Akihiko said, glaring at Shinjiro and stopping any further commentary. He snuck out of the hall and through the front door, closing it behind him. It was cold. How long had she been waiting?

"Aki," Minako called, a small smile was gracing her lips. She looked cold. He hopped down the staircase and quickly hugged her to him.

"Where have you been for this past week?" Akihiko said, breathless. He felt so happy to see her. She returned his embrace, hugging him tightly.

"Sorry. I'm really sorry Aki." She mumbled into the shoulder of his jacket. He pulled away and held her freezing hands.

"Why would you stand out here in this weather? It's past midnight, it's dangerous to walk around here…" he quickly rubbed her hands between his. "You don't want to damage these." He smiled and her expression faltered.

"Aki I wanted to see you before I go." She finally said, and he stopped all movement. He lowered their hands and looked at her, his heart now picking up speed.

"Before you go?" he asked and she wasn't looking at him.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I'm moving." She said and his heart was loud in his ears.

"Why? Where?" Akihiko asked and she shook her head.

"It's always been like this. I move all the time." She said, but he shook his head. "Aki, don't cry…" her eyes were watery. He blinked and felt fresh tears dripping down his cheeks and off his chin.

"Please don't leave…" Akihiko was whispering and she let out a sob in reply. She hugged him tighter and he felt numb. "I knew something was wrong, I knew you wouldn't miss practice for nothing. What happened? Why are you leaving?"

"Aki…" she was begging him to stop. He shut his mouth and she wiped the tears from his face. The air was cool and the wind bit into the water evaporating on his face. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a letter, replacing her hands with it. He weighed it between his fingers.

"I know you can protect the ones you love. Don't give up boxing because of this, Aki." Minako kissed his stinging cheek and smiled another lovely smile. She looked beautiful despite her messy tears. "I believe in you." And then she left.

She left for so long that Akihiko felt far away. She left for so long that Shinjiro had come outside and put a hat on Akihiko's head. She left for so long that Shinjiro led him inside before he froze to death. She left for so long that Akihiko almost completely forgot that she had kissed him goodbye, and that he'd never see her again.

He would never stop keeping count of the days that he spent without her.


End file.
